Dairyland Veg: Rhubarb Upside Down Cake (Vegan)

I have had plans to make a rhubarb upside down cake since the first Farmer's Market of the season. I've been carrying around some reference recipes, waiting for rhubarb to show up at the market. We missed a couple of weeks but made it this weekend and scored some beautiful pink young rhubarb. I have never made anything with it but I knew I liked it with strawberries in pie. I've also never made an upside down cake, so this is at least two firsts for me. I'd give it a 7 out of 10... or maybe a 10 if just judging on flavor.

When I pulled the cake from the oven, I thought it was a failure. However, closer examination and tasting later led me to change my mind. It has taken all of our willpower to make it last multiple days and not gobble it all up at once. I would make some changes in the future to make it prettier, mainly using less sugar and vegan butter, but I do think I'm on to a great recipe! Maybe if my dad is lucky- this will be his Father's Day gift.

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake (Vegan)
by: Me!

Ingredients:
4 tbsp vegan butter, melted
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp coarse salt

1 lb rhubarb, washed, trimmed, and cut on a very sharp diagonal about 1/2 inch thick
3/4 cup sugar

4 tbsp vegan butter, cut into pieces
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup non dairy milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp fresh orange zest
1 tbsp fresh orange juice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Make the topping (which ends up on the bottom of the cake) by stirring together the first set of ingredients (4 tbsp melted vegan butter, 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 tsp coarse salt) until moist and crumbly. Set aside
2. Butter a deep 9 inch round cake pan. Dot the bottom of the pan with 4 tbsp of vegan butter.
3. Toss the rhubarb with 3/4 cup of sugar, let stand for 2 minutes. This helps bring the rhubarb's natural juice out. Toss again and spread into the pan. Top with the remaining sugar from the rhubarb bowl.
4. Whisk together 1 3/4 cup flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl.
5. Combine oil, milk, vanilla, orange zest and juice, and vinegar in a small bowl.
6. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Pour over the rhubarb in the pan. You may have leftover batter. Allow room in the pan for the cake to rise (leave 1/2 to 3/4 inch).
7. Top the batter in the pan with the crumbly topping.
8. Bake the cake on a center rack for about 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted almost the whole way in comes out clean. The bottom of the cake with the rhubarb and butter will stay gooey.
9. Allow the cake to cool for about 10 minutes. Flip it over too soon and it will be molten and dangerous; flip it too late and it will be glued to the pan.

Notes:
- I would reduce the butter used to dot the pan by at least 1/2.
-I would also suggest reducing the sugar mixed with the rhubarb by 1/4 of a cup.
-The top of my cake was a little too gooey for it to look pretty, so that's why I suggest the above.
-My cake pan was too full and the batter spilled over the sides of the pan, also contributing to it's ugliness.
-This cake ended up being very, very good. It's mild and moist. You could get away with cutting the sugar in the batter too.